Durant leads charge as Thunder earn first win

Nov 3, 2008 - 5:06 AM
OKLAHOMA CITY (Ticker) -- The Oklahoma City fans waited two
years for a team of their own. They only had to wait three
games to see that team get its first win.

Kevin Durant scored 18 points and rookie Russell Westbrook came
off the bench to add 14 as the Oklahoma City Thunder posted
their first win with an 88-85 triumph over the Minnesota
Timberwolves on Sunday.

Jeff Green poured in 13 points on 6-of-14 shooting and Nick
Collison chipped in 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Thunder,
who dropped their home opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on
Wednesday and fell at Houston on Saturday.

"It feels good," Durant said. "Last year, it took us 10-12
games to get our first win, but to get in front of a great crowd
like this, it's a good thing for us, and we just have to build
on it.

"Everyone stepped up tonight, Russell (Westbrook) did a great
job off the bench. Nick Collison hit a big time shot late for
us, everyone played hard. ... We played well, and every time we
step on the floor we just want to play hard."

After Al Jefferson hit a layup with 2:41 remaining in the game
to give the Timberwolves an 85-84 lead, Westbrook came right
back down the court and responded with a layup of his own to
regain the lead for the Thunder.

"We're going to have to be scrappy to win games," said
Westbrook, the fourth overall pick in the June draft.

"Any win feels good, honestly," Oklahoma City coach P.J.
Carlesimo said. "It's very good to get a win in this building.
It's very good to get a win the way we got it."

Jefferson led the way with 24 points and 13 rebounds for
Minnesota.

"It's a game we're supposed to have won," he said.

"We gave up 25 points second-chance. That's why it hurts so bad.
? No disrespect to the Thunder, but it was just a game we had in
the bag and we should have won."

Neither team could manage to score again until Collison sealed
the win with a running lefthanded hook shot with 16 seconds
remaining in the contest.

Durant went 7-of-21 from the floor for Oklahoma City, which
moved from Seattle in the offseason. The fans in the Oklahoma
enjoyed a full season of NBA action in the 2005-06 season when
the New Orleans Hornets made the city their home after Hurricane
Katrina.

Minnesota led the Thunder, 73-63, after Craig Smith hit a pair
of free throws with 1:19 left in the third quarter.

But Oklahoma City marched right back with a 13-0 run bridging
the third and fourth quarters to pull to a 76-73 lead.
Westbrook totaled five points in the spurt, starting it with a
layup late in the third and capping the run with a jumper at the
10:08 mark of the fourth.

Durant and Collison combined for the next eight points for the
Thunder as the teams' traded baskets down to the 2:41 mark.